US1 min(s) read
Published 18:11 02 Nov 2020 GMT
A California teenager has become the caretaker of four of his five siblings after his mother passed away from Covid-19 at the age of 43.
Nineteen-year-old Juan Jose Martinez from Palmdale near Los Angeles lost his mother Brenda Martinez in August, during which, the entire family tested positive for the virus.
However, everyone apart from Juan and Brenda was asymptomatic.
While Brenda initially had just a cough, her condition rapidly deteriorated, and within a week, she passed away.
Brenda, who had diabetes, took the threat posed by Covid-19 very seriously and she was careful to wear a mask, practice social distancing, and wash her hands.
In an interview with Fox 11, Juan said: "Within a couple of days, the symptoms worsened. She started feeling shortness of breath so one morning, we just took action and we called 911."
Brenda's lungs went on to collapse and her kidney failed, ultimately leading to her death from the virus.
"I feel like she's at peace and she put up a fight, honestly," Juan continued. "I was just a big brother and then after my mother passed, I became a father, mother, and a big brother at the same time."
The 19-year-old is now doing his best to pay the family's bills and ensure that his siblings are fed, kept in a clean home, and keep up with all their schooling and medical needs.
"At first, it was pretty emotional," he said. "There was a lot of screaming and crying but I managed to calm them down and told them everything was going to be fine and I wasn't going to let anything happen to them."
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Juan has five siblings, aged two, seven, eight, nine, and 15, however, the two-year-old now lives with his father, who was granted custody in September, leaving Juan responsible for the other four.
Discussing her big brother's sacrifices, Juan's 15-year-old sister Jovanna said: "I love how supportive he is and is just doing the best that he can for all of us at the moment. I just love the fact that I can turn around and I can talk to him, just like I would with my mom.
"It's been really hard. It's different from a woman and a guy to talk to without having my mom to talk to, but at the end of the day, at least I still have an older brother to look up to."
Juan is now emphasizing the importance of taking the continued threat posed by the coronavirus seriously and told NBC News that it is upsetting for him to see people flouting rules such as the wearing of masks after his family has been devastated by the virus.
The 19-year-old told the news outlet that not adhering to the rules is what people like his mother, who had an underlying health condition, at serious risk of suffering complications if they contract Covid-19.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with their expenses and you can donate here.
